“It
looks like it's going to be another beautiful day,” Maria
exclaimed, as she looked out the window of the room she shared with
two other postulants at Nonnberg Abbey.

The
previous day had been so lovely that she just had to go to her
mountains, after hearing them call her name. It had got her into
trouble – again – but Maria was so used to getting into
trouble that it had become second nature to her.

“Maria?”

She
turned around to see who had called her. “Did someone say my
name?”

“You
do realise that you are not allowed to whistle, right?” one of
her roommates whispered.“Yes.
I know,
ChloŽ,” Maria replied, frowning. “I don't understand
why,though.”

“Girls
shouldn't whistle at all,” said another postulant. “ It
isn’t very…ladylike. And they also don’t frown and
shrug like that – it isn’t very ladylike either.”

Maria
said nothing as she rolled her eyes and shrugged, moving away from
the window. She was going to be a nun. It did not mean that she would
ever be a lady. Indeed, that was something that Isobel would never
understand, coming from a wealthy Viennese family. Maria knew that
she would never be as refined and well-mannered as the ladies she
sometimes saw attending mass at the Nonnberg Chapel. As if to
verbalise her thinking, she began to sing at the top of her voice.

“Nearer,
my God, to thee,Nearer
to thee,E'en
though it be a crossThat
raiseth meStill
my song shall be…”

Ssssshhh,Maria!”
ChloŽ admonished her.

“Though
like the wanderer,The
sun gone down,Darkness
be over me,My
rest a stone,Yet
in my dreams I’d be,Nearer,
my God, to thee.”

“I
vaguely remember the tall man smelling of very expensive cologne,”
Maria told them. “ At least, that is how I think very expensive
cologne should smell like, because I did not sneeze at all. You know
I usually can’t stop sneezing when…”

“Maria!”
the girls exclaimed, in unison.

“Oohhh,”
Maria muttered impatiently. “I am not even sure if it is the
same man you're talking about.”

“Oh,
yes. It could only be him. It's not everyday that the Reverend Mother
receives anyone from the outside world.” said Isobel.

“So
you did see him, Maria!” said ChloŽ.

“Why?”
Maria asked. “What’s so special about him?”

“He’s
distinctive,” ChloŽ said.

“Dashing,”
added Isobel.

Maria
frowned. Were these the same girls who had chastised her, only a few
minutes ago, for whistling and singing? Now they are the ones with
flushed cheeks because some gentleman had been inside the convent.

Well,
in Isobel’s case, it might not be so odd. The poor girl had
made no secret that becoming a nun had not been her choice, but
rather, she had been pushed into it to uphold an old family
tradition. The other day, when Maria had spoken to her about it, she
admitted that she hoped to convince her parents to allow her to
return to Vienna before she took her final vows. Maria advised her to
talk to the Reverend Mother about it, for she would not allow any
girl to take her final vows if it was not what she really wanted.
However, Isobel feared her family's reaction more than anything else,
and was too afraid of even the idea of telling them how she really
felt.

ChloŽ,
on the other hand, was an entirely different story. There were times
when Maria secretly envied her. She had never seen anyone so devoted,
so made to become a nun. The girl lived according to all of
Nonnberg's rules, even those that Maria found impossible to obey.

“Maria,
don’t look at me like that,” said Isobel. “Just
because we are going to be nuns, doesn’t mean we don’t
have eyes in our heads.”

“What?”
Maria's frown deepened.

“It
simply means…” Isobel began to mock her.

“Oh,
I know very well what it means.” Maria was irritated.

“Of
course, she does,” replied ChloŽ. “Remember when
Sister Norma caught her staring at that picture of Michelangelo’s
David?”

“How
could I forget?” Maria said, forlornly. “She made me rip
the page off…and swallow it.” She gulped. “I never
understood why she didn’t like that picture. It's a real work
of art, isn’t it? It depicts a biblical figure, not a pagan god

“Never
mind how beautiful the sculpture is. He is…he is…well,
you know…unclothed.” ChloŽ said, whispering the
last word.

Maria
gave her an impatient look. “So? There are naked statues
everywhere you go in this city.” Maria paused, then frowned at
them. “Why? Are you saying that the mysterious gentleman looks
like David?”

Both
girls looked up at her and gasped.

“I
see,” Maria said, trying to sound as if she knew the reason for
their silence. Did he really look like the famous statue? And if he
did, she should have taken a better look at him when she bumped into
him. Why didn’t she? She had been in such a hurry, and she was
much too late for vespers. To make matters worse, and to add to her
shame, she nearly knocked the poor gentleman down.

Isobel’s
words interrupted her brief reverie. “The man was much too
real, and much too old, to look anything like David.”

“May
I remind you, Isobel, that it was you two girls who mentioned David
in the first place. Not me.” With a mischievous smile on her
face, Maria was not finished teasing her friends. “What about
the pair of statues in the Mirabell Gardens?” She mimicked the
pose of the well-known statues.

“Maria,
why is it that every handsome man you can think of is a naked
statue?” ChloŽ blurted out, laughing.

“What,
in heaven's name, are you girls talking about?”

The
trio slowly turned around, only to be faced with a very angry-looking
Sister Norma. A deathly silence filled the room.

“I’m
waiting for an answer,” the nun insisted, looking at each of
the girls in turn, until her gaze settled on ChloŽ – the
perfect target. The girl was usually shy and the first one to break
down. “ChloŽ?”

“Oh,
well – eh – we – we…”

“Yes?”
insisted Sister Norma.

Maria
quickly came to her friends aid, and the word was out before she knew
what she had said. “Aphrodite!” She spoke the word so
loudly, that the Mistress of Postulants nearly jumped.

Her
scowl turned immediately to her. “Maria, will you care to
enlighten me?”

“Well…”
Maria bit her lower lip, looking up, saying a silent prayer. She
hardly understood the stern expression on the nuns face. They hadn’t
done anything wrong. After all, they were only talking about marble
statues. “We were…we were…”

“I
am waiting!” said Sister Norma.Maria's
prayers were answered when she suddenly remembered reading about
Aphrodite in a book once. “We were discussing Aphrodite, the
Greek goddess of love and beauty. There is a fountain…Did you
know that? Aphrodite’s fountain. When you drink from the
fountain, legend has it, you…you…” Sister Norma
raised her eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. “You will
become young again, and men will fall in... love with…you.”
She finished with a nervous look in her eyes, knowing that she had
just shot herself in the foot, while Isobel and ChloŽ just hung
their heads.

“I’m
sure I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking
about,” the nun said, narrowing her eyes. “Never mind
that now. I am here because of a very urgent matter. But don’t
think that you have gotten away with this one, Maria. I expect to see
you in my study, that is, after the Reverend Mother is done with
you.”

The
three girls gasped.

Maria's
eyes flew open. “After…the Reverend Mother?”

“She
wants to see you,” Sister Norma said. “Now!”

Maria
was suddenly paralysed. Her feet felt like they were glued to the
floor. Have I gone too far this time? She wondered. She had left the
Abbey as soon as the sun came up yesterday morning to go to the
mountains, and she stayed until sunset. Now, she could only hope,
once more, for the Mother Abbess’s kind understanding and
forgiveness.

“Reverend
Mother?”

The
Reverend Mother raised her eyes from the letter in her hands, which
she had been re-reading for the third time. The letter was from
Captain Von Trapp, requesting a governess for his children. He had
been to visit her yesterday to discuss the requirements of the new
governess personally, and Reverend Mother knew exactly who to send.

She
prayed for guidance and hope that she was making the right decision,
by choosing to send Maria to him.

She
met the kind face of the Mistress of Novices, and wondered if Sister
Anne had ever been angry, as her face was just so ethereal. “I’m
sorry, Sister Anne. I was a million miles away. Please, forgive me.”

“You
really have come to care about Maria since she first arrived on our
doorstep, haven’t you?” said Sister Anne, knowingly.

“It’s
been twenty years since I accepted God's mission to be Nonnberg's
leader, and if anyone told me all those years ago that I would worry
so much about my lambs…” she sighed and shook her head.
“Do you think I’m making the right decision?”

Sister
Anne shook her head. “I can’t answer that. It's God's
will. He knows what’s best.” She paused. “But I’ve
always believed in her. She has a great capacity to love. She must
just find out how God wants her to spend her love.”

“Is
she here already?” asked the Reverend Mother.

Sister
Anne nodded. “She is waiting outside.” The weight of the
Reverend Mother’s decision was clearly visible to her. She
hoped that whatever her superior had to say to the young postulant,
it would be God's will for the young girl’s path in life.

“Please,
send her in, “was the gentle command of the Reverend Mother.After
Sister Anne had left, the Reverend Mother could not stop thinking
about the young girl. She was far from being an ordinary girl, that
much was certain, but the superior could not help but wonder, if she
was prepared for the task she was about to be given.

Maria
never had to handle so much responsibility before, but then, she had
been completely on her own since she was a child. Most importantly,
if she is successful in her mission, would she be more prepared to
take her vows and become a nun? The only consolation the Reverend
Mother had, was that sending her away would provide them both with
the answers to all those questions. But whether those answers led
Maria to the life she was born to live, was a horse of a different
colour.

She
heard Sister Anne's gentle voice on the other side of the door. “You
may go in now, Maria.”

Maria
slowly stepped into the semi-darkened study, and shut the door
quietly behind her. She looked unusually composed and calm. Was this
the same girl who had climbed a tree and over the wall just the day
before? The black wimple hid her usually disheveled strawberry-blond
hair, and only her fringe could be seen. He eyes seemed too big for
her face, and they looked at her cautiously, but without any trace of
fear. Her face was slightly flushed, as if she had run from wherever
she was when she had been called.

“Come
here, my child,” the Reverend Mother encouraged, with her
usual gentle voice. Maria hurried over to her superior, knelt down
and quickly kissed her hand. “Please. Sit down,” she
gently commanded her lost sheep.

However,
if the Reverend Mother thought for a moment that Maria would do as
she was told for once, she was mistaken. No sooner had the girl sat
down in the chair opposite her superior, that she began to talk. “Oh,
Reverend Mother, I’m so sorry,” she began. “It was
such a lovely day yesterday, and I just had to be a part of it. The
Untersberg was calling my name, and you know I can’t say no
when my mountain calls me.”

“He’s
a retired officer of the Imperial Navy. A fine man and a brave one.
One of Austria's greatest men, in fact. His poor wife died several
years ago, leaving him alone with the children.” Maria remained
silent. “He wants someone who is reliable, and who will be able
to take care of the children.”

“That’s
nice, Reverend Mother, but what has it got to do with me?”

“I
believe you can, Maria.”

Maria's
mind seemed to have frozen in time. She was being sent away! Not only
that, but she was being sent to work for a captain! Could he be the
man who was at Nonnberg yesterday? The man she had nearly knocked off
his feet?

“A
sea Captain?”

“Is
there a problem, Maria?” The older woman looked up from her
writing.

“No.
I mean…oh, Reverend Mother, I’m a mountain girl. I don’t
know anything about ships. I don’t know how to…I have
never even seen the sea,” Maria confessed. “And now you
want me to work for a sea captain? What if I suffer from
seasickness?”

“Maria,
you will not be out on the open sea. You will be at his home.”
The woman couldn’t help but smile at the young girl's fears.

“Maybe…maybe
he is very mean…I mean, very stern,” said Maria.

“His
home isn’t one of his warships, Maria,” Reverend Mother
assured her. “Now, I believe he’s had a most difficult
time managing to keep a governess there.”

“Uh,
why difficult, Reverend Mother?” “The
Lord will show you in His own good time,” replied the superior.
“I’ll tell Captain Von Trapp that he can expect you
tomorrow.”

“All
your clothes have already been given to the poor, but I'm sure this
one will fit,” said Sister Anne, as she entered the postulants
room, carrying an ugly-looking grey bundle.

“Who
is the Captain?” ChloŽ asked.

“I’m
sure my parents must know him,” said Isobel, while they helped
Maria change from her habit, and into the dress that Sister Anne had
brought. “The name sounds familiar.”

“Maybe
he swears and chews tabacco,” ChloŽ uttered.

“Probably.
That might be the reason why no one can stand to be at his house for
long,” Maria mumbled. “I have no idea why the Reverend
Mother thinks I can be different.”

“Because
she believes in you,” Sister Anne told her. “I have never
seen the Reverend Mother believe in anyone the way she believes in
you.”

“I
don’t understand why, though,” Maria said, straightening
her hair. “I’ve caused so much trouble. I’ve never
done anything right in my life. I’ve never been good enough for
anyone…”

Sister
Anne turned Maria around to face her. “Now, you listen to me.
You’ve been a great asset to the Abbey, despite all your
faults, and we're all going to miss you terribly. I think, even
Sister Norma, in her own way, will miss you…I guess, you must
have done something good.”
“Maybe
he was the gentleman who came to the Abbey the other day!”
exclaimed Isobel.

“I
don’t think it was him,” Maria said, turning to face
them, after Sister Anne helped her pull the grey dress over her head.
“He did not look at all like a sea captain.”

Sister
Anne intervened. “Now girls, stop this nonsense. He’s a
poor, grieving widower with seven children.” She took a step
back to look at Maria. “Well, it's not as turned out as I’d
like but it will have to do. Still, it's pretty.”

Maria
looked down at herself, forlornly. The grey dress was quite a sight,
and it was a little too big for her. A burlap jacket, and a
wide-brimmed leather hat, completed her dowdy attire. Poor Sister
Anne – she had been living in Nonnberg for decades. No wonder
her sense of fashion was so…altered. Chloe and Isobel also
seemed to think the dress was ugly, as they just giggled.

“Oh
God…” Maria exclaimed, only to notice Sister Anne's
shocked expression. She continued, trying to hide her blasphemy.
“…please guide me to the life I am supposed to lead.”
Those were the only words that came to mind.

“Are
you ready, Maria?” Sister Anne asked.

Was
she? Would she ever be ready to face life outside these walls, most
of all, sea captain's and seven children?

Sister
Anne sensed her distress. “Don’t worry, Maria. Remember
what the Reverend Mother always says – When the Lord closes a
door, somewhere He opens a window.” Maria said that last part
with Sister Anne, forcing a smile. “Just be…yourself,
and the rest will fall into place in their own time.”

Maria
frowned slightly – after all, she had always been told not to
be herself.

“Hurry
Isobel, we'll be late for benediction,” ChloŽ said, and
then turned to Maria. “I think its goodbye, for now.”

“Oh,
I’ll be back,” Maria replied, as if to reasure, not only
her friends, but herself as well.

“Come
visit us soon, please,” said Isobel.

“Oh,
wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” Maria smiled. Picking
up her guitar and carpet bag, she open the door, and then, turning
around, she whispered,” goodbye.” And then, she closed
the door behind the three people who were the closest thing to a
family she ever had.